Breakfast is exactly that, breaking the fast that began the previous
night. In addition to whatever activities occur after dinner, the body
continues to burn energy while you sleep. Proper refueling in the morning
is essential for optimal performance during the coming day. Remember, it
has been many hours since your last meal. Many studies have shown that
eating breakfast helps to improve both physical and mental performance.
Adults are less likely to make mistakes at work and children do better in school
after having eaten breakfast.

Breakfast is also another opportunity to consume much needed nutrients,
including vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that children who skip
breakfast do not make up during the day the nutrients they missed at breakfast.

When you skip breakfast, your body's energy tank runs low. This causes
cravings for sweets, usually far from nutritious. Skipping breakfast also
may cause overeating at the next meal. And since you may crave sweets,
your next meal may be high in sugar (and often high in fat as well). In
turn, ove3reating places undue stress on your body and can result in unwanted
weight gain. Skipping breakfast has no benefits for weight loss.

What makes a good breakfast? Any foods that contribute to an overall
balanced diet are fine; there are no rules. They key is to select a
variety of foods from different food groups. Breakfast doesn't have to be
cereal (stay away from the sugary varieties with their abundance of empty
calories) or eggs (try to limit eggs anyway) or pancakes; it can be leftover
pizza from last night's dinner. Traditional breakfast foods are generally
the easiest and quickest to prepare, but anything that would be a healthy lunch
or dinner can also be a healthy breakfast. Of course, you will want
something that is also appealing to you in the morning.

For many busy families, breakfast may provide the only opportunity for a
"family meal." Good traditional choices for breakfast might
be: a glass of orange juice, whole wheat toast with all fruit spread, and
a glass of skim milk; an orange or grapefruit, low-fat fruit yogurt, and herb
tea with low fat graham crackers; whole grain frozen waffles toasted and served
with fresh or frozen strawberries and a glass of skim milk. And you may
use a small amount of butter on your toast or have whole eggs
occasionally. Just make sure you're not overdoing your fat and cholesterol
consumption. (Remember, fat "hides" in many healthy foods that
you eat.)

But if you don't have time for breakfast, try an easy "to go" meal,
like a bagel with spreadable fruit, or a piece of fruit and a glass of milk;
even a "breakfast bar" is better than nothing. To save time in
the morning, make your meal the previous night. Just follow the general
rules for a healthy meal: low in fat, high in fiber and complex
carbohydrates. Mix and match. Remember, variety is key to a healthy
diet.